Renewable Energy

The Urbana chancellor signed the Climate Leadership Commitments, pledging to be carbon neutral by 2050. As a part of this commitment, specific goals for energy conservation and renewable energy were outlined in the Illinois Climate Action Plan (iCAP). Efforts to meet university renewable energy goals include the Wind Power Purchase Agreement (PPA), the operation of six major solar installations, and the purchase of renewable energy certificates.

Wind Power Purchase Agreement

From November 2016 through October 2026, the Urbana campus will receive a percentage-based portion of the wind-generated electricity and associated environmental attributes from the Rail Splitter Wind Farm located north of Lincoln, Illinois. The PPA specifies that 8.6% of the total wind generation from the farm will be sold to the university, which is expected to be an annual amount of more than 25,000 megawatt-hours (MWh). Actual purchased wind power is shared monthly on the Wind PPA iCAP Portal project page.

Solar Installations

There are seven major solar installations currently generating electrical power for the Urbana campus. The Solar Farm is one of the largest on-site university arrays in the country, according to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency statistics. In addition to Solar Farm 1.0, there are solar installations at the Business Instructional Facility, Allerton Park, the Activities and Recreation Center, the Business Research Council Laboratory, Wassaja Residence Hall, and the Electrical and Computer Engineering Building.

By the end of 2020, the Urbana campus will also be home to Solar Farm 2.0. This 54-acre, 12.1 megawatt Solar Farm will just about triple the university's on-site generation of renewable energy. This increase in generated power will allow the university to meet the 2015 iCAP objective regarding on-campus solar energy, which aims to generate 25,000 megawatt-hours per year (MWh/year) of solar energy.

The 20.8-acre Solar Farm, designed, built, and operated by Phoenix Solar South Farms LLC, produces an estimated 7,200 MWh/year or approximately 2% of the annual electrical demand for the Urbana campus. The Solar Farm is located on the south side of Windsor Road between First Street and the railroad tracks.

The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign has a 10-year power purchase agreement with Phoenix Solar to deliver all electricity produced by the Solar Farm directly to the campus grid. In addition, the University will own/receive all current and future Renewable Energy Credits (RECs) and emission credits associated with energy from the 5.87 MWdc Solar Farm.

Robert Allerton left the Allerton Park to the University of Illinois for education, research, and as a public park. Students in ENG 315: Learning in Community – Allerton Park built an 11,000-watt solar installation to move the park closer to their goal of carbon neutrality by 2035, fulfilling their part in the University of Illinois’ Climate Action Plan. The solar array is projected to reduce Allerton Park’s spending on fossil fuel by 12 percent annually.

The Business Research Council Laboratory solar test bed provides the Illinois Center for Smarter Electricity Grid (ICSEG) with a research platform to collect data, test, and validate vulnerability solutions for solar components, devices, and systems that support solar generation.
Business Research Council Laboratory

There are 4,000 square feet of solar photovoltaic panels on the roof of the Business Instructional Facility. This was the first production rooftop solar array installed on a campus building. The solar panels have a combined maximum output of 40 kWh per hour. The solar panels are expected to produce approximately 8% of the building's total electricity demand. The College of Business hosts a website that shows the solar output of this system by day and another site that shows the annual output.

The installation of 950 AC panels on top of the ECE Building is expected to contribute about 1/5 of all electricity needs for the building, which is a large step in achieving the campus’ goal of reducing overall energy emissions.

Electricity generation is not the only feature to this project, as about sixty of the panels have been set aside for engaging student learning and assist in the university’s energy related-research. These research panels connect directly to the ECE ILLINOIS Advanced Power Applications Laboratory, giving students direct access to these panels.

Installation of a 24-panel, gravity fed solar-thermal system on the roof of the ARC significantly reduces steam usage for domestic (i.e. showers and sinks) and pool hot water during normal operating periods.